


The Real Family

by PrincesaParkerina



Series: Vanilla/Frutilla [4]
Category: Junior Express (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - High School, Implied/Referenced Abuse, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-23
Updated: 2019-04-23
Packaged: 2020-01-15 13:01:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,998
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18499489
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PrincesaParkerina/pseuds/PrincesaParkerina
Summary: Teen Arnoldo and Francis go to the Supermarket in the middle of the night,it didn't turn out like Arnoldo expected yet it ended up exactly like Francis hoped.





	The Real Family

"You know,Arnoldo....there's bread right there,we could just buy it-"

The brunet apprentice looked up from the three nearly identical sacks of flour in his hands,seemingly in slow motion,one eyebrow raised,absolute disbelief taking over the boy's rather charming,round features.

Francis found himself thinking the older teen looked really endearing like this but he knew he was about to get an earful,he should have known better by now,really.

"IT'S NOT THE SAME, FRANCIS, CAN'T YOU SEE??? Those are made in Industries!!! By machines!!! Machines, Francis!!!! I am deeply insulted that you would even consider the idea of me, ARNOLDO, Future Grand Chef buying machine-baked bread,mire bien mi cara y dime what I think of YOU underestimating IO, _Arnoldo_ like this?"

"I-I...I think Bakeries exist for a reason,Arnoldo..." Francis shrugged helplessly,giving out an awkward,gap-toothed smile that got to Arnoldo's heart pretty quickly,rubbing a hand over the rubbery texture of one of his elbow pads.

That's when Arnoldo finally turned,switching his focused gaze to Francis,giving him a good once over.

The cook apprentice's indignant expression slowly morphed into amusement,sharp dark eyes softening upon noticing Francis' attire,loud,mocking chortles echoed through the entire place seemingly out of nowhere.

The effort did hurt his body greatly still but he couldn't help it,Francis looked adorably confused,stopping juggling two mangoes and one papaya in between his hands mostly to distract himself,he hadn't let a single one fall,Arnoldo did find it quite impressive.

"Arnoldo,what's so funny?" Francis said somewhat awkwardly and embarassed,putting the fruits he was playing with back in their cart,Arnoldo shook his head and tsked.

"Francis,Francis,Francis ....why are you dressed like this? With these....these roller skates and- and those kneepads and helmet....in pyjamas,Francis!!!! Hahaha!!! You're gonna kill me,you look ridiculous!!! Look at you!" Arnoldo laughed himself into oblivion,promptly taking out the food items Francis had just put in their cart.

They did not look adequate,Francis cannot pick food to save his life. 

But he has plenty of time to learn.

The raven-haired teen's face heated quickly,looking bright red,he laughed awkwardly to follow Arnoldo,he looked down at himself and laughed louder,genuinely this time.

Arnoldo definitely wasn't the most gentle person in the world to point it out but if Francis is honest to himself,he did look kind of ridiculous.

No one who uses these roller skates was working right now so Francis put them on simply because he always wanted to try,it always looked really fun and he indeed had been having a lot of it skating around in them through the huge,seemingly endless Supermarket.

He only stopped after realizing that Arnoldo hadn't really moved from his spot during the same amount of time the aspiring magician was having so much fun on his own.

It didn't look fair.

Francis couldn't help but ask with a playful smile over thin,pale lips.

"Well....did you ever rollerskate,Arnoldo? It's really fun,you know...." 

"Me? Wearing those things I would nev-"

"I could help you learn...." Francis nudged the older boy's arm gently,winking slyly.

The little grunt Arnoldo gave at that,mindlessly reaching over to rub his own arm reminded the curly-haired teen why he hadn't called the future cook to join him before in the first place.

And the  _actual_  reason they were here,Francis regretted asking immediately,he is here to distract Arnoldo from his pain,not put him in even more.

"You don't need to teach me anything,Francis! Of course I know how to walk on these things...they have another pair?" Arnoldo let go of his own arm and started walking somewhat aimlessly,mostly waiting on Francis' directions to where he had found those skates.

Francis rolled ahead,stopping in front of the usually taller teen,extremely careful,stiff hands holding onto the brunet cook's shoulders to keep him from walking further.

"A- Are you sure,you don't want my help? You could ... get hurt..."

"More than I already am? Unlikely..." Arnoldo mumbled to himself,trying to get past Francis,even those delicate,feather-like touches he was receiving were really unpleasant to feel at the current state he's in.

Arnoldo hates this,Francis is touching him and he can't even enjoy it,all because his father doesn't know how to be a decent being,the brunet teen huffed,trying to get past Francis,it only made them spin in place.

"What was that,Arnoldo?" the raven-haired teen smirked.

Was he finally getting something from Arnoldo? 

"It's very unlikely that I will need your help,Francis,please,get out of my way,you know I can handle anything by myself just fine.I've been doing so all my life..." Arnoldo lost his patience and pushed Francis out his way with more force.

Making the younger teen spin in place a handful of times then lean over the fruit aisle to get his balance back,breathing heavily,head a little dizzy and heavy with the helmet,he took it off for a moment,shaking his head from side to side,messy thick curls swishing in every direction.

"Then why have you been dragging me everywhere..." Francis whispered to himself.

Why Arnoldo just have to be this frustrating? 

"And...why do I _let_ you?" 

"Speak louder,Francis! You want me to hear you or not?" Arnoldo yelled back,already by the cereal aisle,which he completely snubbed,walking with his nose up.

"I'm not even sure anymore..." Francis dipped his head,putting the helmet back on and standing up to catch up to his stubborn friend.

The storage room he found these skates in was the other way.

"Franciiiis,you're lagging behind and speaking to your shoulder instead of me,maybe I should leave this absurd skate idea behind and get the remaining ingredients for Breakfast,you must be really hungry..." Arnoldo stopped in his tracks,looking back,tapping his foot,waiting for Francis to get to where he was.

"Oh,Arnoldo,you're so right!!! I _am_ really hungry...." Francis caught up to Arnoldo,'faking dramatically' in a believable mocking manner,putting a hand over his stomach and everything.

Mostly because he was indeed,really hungry. 

But also so used to the feeling already too.

Francis would like to see Arnoldo trying these skates someday. 

Preferably on a day where the proud apprentice's body isn't covered in bruises.

"Then,take these silly things off already and come help me." Arnoldo kept walking ahead,finally finding that pineapple he was looking for and had not found last time.

Francis remained behind,struggling to get off the skates and the rest of the gear by himself while Arnoldo contemplated amazingly distracted the strawberry section.

* * *

"They both look the same,Arnoldo." Francis remarked in a low voice,playful,amused smile on his thin lips,leaning in over the older teen's shoulder.

Naturally,Arnoldo shrieked,letting both tomatoes he was holding and examining for the past half hour fall to the cold tile floor soundly.

"Francis!!!! What were you thinking??? You scared me!!! _And_ ruined both tomatoes,now I'll have to pick new ones!!!" Arnoldo sounded way more frustrated with himself than angry at Francis,really.

He should be able to pick fruits and vegetables to a perfect salad way faster than this by now but this whole picking and buying industrialized food at a Supermarket is still outright surreal to Arnoldo.

His whole life he spent early hours in the morning picking all the fruits,vegetables and plants he would need at a close friend of the family's huge farm with his mamma,it really should have been such hard work and a chore,but she always made it so much fun,the older,blonde woman would sing,dance,tell him,his brother and cousins stories,she would play with all of them and time would fly.

The cook apprentice misses his mamma so much,misses his _real_  family so badly.

The people who actually treated him like family,they made life bearable....

Arnoldo suddenly found himself sobbing in Francis' shoulder,holding uncomfortably tight to a completely lost,paralyzed curly-haired teen.

"Nononono,Arnoldo! You don't have to cry! It's okay! They're not really ruined,look!!! Not a scratch,you'll only need to wash them,which I'm guessing you already would do anyway..." Francis rambled nervously,picking up both fruits and awkwardly trying to hand them to the older teen with one hand,other hand had gone to pat the teen apprentice's shoulder stiffly.

Arnoldo had not even realized he had started crying,right here,in the middle of the marketplace. 

And worse,with Francis right beside him,he's such an embarassment,his dad was absolutely right,Arnoldo forcefully pulled back from Francis' oddly soothing gestures,clearing his throat,trying to recompose himself as if nothing happened.

"I wasn't crying,Francis! Siempre diciendo tonterías....it was probably one of those tiny tomillo branches that got into my eye..."

Arnoldo looked down with still blurred eyes at the tomatoes in his hand,he could see the small bumps signaling the exact place the red fruits had fallen,they were ruined for certain,he could not make a proper meal with 'floor-tomatoes'.

Not if he ever wants to become a Professional Grand Chef someday. 

 "Arnoldo....?" Francis managed to recompose quickly from the brunet teen's sudden reaction this time,this is progress.

Arnoldo shut his moistened eyes tightly,letting more tears fall,closing an angry fist over one of the red fruits,very much smashing it in his large hand.

He's not one for pretending like this,Arnoldo's so tired of this,he wishes he could tell Francis everything and finally have it out of his pained chest.

"Yes,Francis!!! Yes,I'm crying!!! Happy??? I'm crying all over the food and ruining breakfast!!!! How can I be expected to be a real,respected Grand Chef someday if I keep acting weak and pathetic like this!??!!" Arnoldo shouted in frustration,throwing his hands in the air then embracing Francis with all his might,back to sobbing uncontrollably on the younger's frail shoulder.

Francis' breath hitched,a lump stuck on his throat,his body tilting back with the weight of the larger teen,his nervous,shaking hands finally setting on Arnoldo's back and the curly ends of his brown hair,running thin fingers over them stiffly yet strangely soothing.

"You're not weak or pathetic for admitting you're crying or that you're in pain,Arnoldo....You're amazing and I know for a fact you're gonna be the best Chef in the world one day." Francis let a few tears fall of his own,he kept on running a gentle hand on the older's back,feeling Arnoldo's sobs quiet down slowly.

"Really,Francis? You really think that?" the teen waiter pulled back,wiping his eyes with the back of his hand,searching inside his coat for something to clean his nose,he still felt very pathetic.

Carlos probably doesn't do these pitiful displays in front of Francis,suddenly he felt a few napkins being pushed against his front,Arnoldo took them,looking up to see a shiny-eyed,awkward-looking Francis,smiling at him sympathetically and gap-toothed,hair still an absolute disaster because of the helmet.

Topa always had napkins on hand,Francis decided it was a good idea and started to do the same,it does come in handy.

"I do,Arnoldo,you're gonna be wonderful." Francis said firmly,reaching for the older's free hand and fixing their gazes together,dark brown against olive green.

Arnoldo scoffed good-naturedly,taking his hand away and looking back to the vegetables' aisle,small smile on his lips,slowly gaining his confidence back.

"Of course I will,Francis,soy Arnoldo.Of course I'm gonna be the best Chef in the world."

Arnoldo looked back to Francis,patting a thin shoulder firmly.

"And you're gonna be there right beside me."


End file.
